


Future Echoes

by deird1



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Dawnverse, Gen, season: pre-series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-15
Updated: 2009-11-15
Packaged: 2017-10-02 19:45:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deird1/pseuds/deird1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A ficlet about Buffy. Just Buffy. Because really, she's by herself. There's no-one walking next to her. Really.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Future Echoes

**Future Echoes**

The crossing guard lady was crazy - everyone knew that.  
Buffy walked past her every morning on the way to school, and every morning she was just as weird.

She'd introduced herself, back before Buffy knew she was crazy.  
"Hi." A smile. "I'm Janet. You're new here, aren't you? What's your name?"  
"I'm Buffy. I've just started middle school round at Mitchell."  
"Nice to meet you, Buffy! And is this young lady your little sister?"  
"Um… what?"  
And Janet just stood there looking at the empty space on Buffy's left side, as if it wasn't empty.

So yeah - crazy.

It wasn't like that all the time. Some days she'd just smile, normally, and wave her across. But every time Buffy began to relax, and forget about it, it'd all start up again.  
Janet would wave at empty air a metre up from ground level.  
Or she'd frown, and ask, "Is your sister sick, Buffy? I haven't seen her lately."  
Or sometimes she'd start conducting a whole conversation with no-one at all: "Hi, hon. How's school going? Is big sis helping you learn what's what?"

Weirdest of all, was the times when Buffy almost thought she'd heard someone answer.

And it gave her the wiggins. Complete wiggins. Every time she crossed that road, she'd feel as if there _was_ someone next to her - a little invisible person skipping along asking a stream of endless questions.  
A couple of times, Buffy almost believed she'd seen a little girl, with brown hair and skinned knees - but there was NO-ONE. She _knew_ there was no-one. No little girl, no-one beside her, nothing, nothing at all. Just some weird crazy crossing guard who talked to thin air.

Buffy started taking the long route to school, and forgot about the whole thing.


End file.
